Israel increases wheat imports as population grows

Israel is set to expand its wheat imports after several relatively stable seasons. According to USDA projections, supplies in the 2025/26 marketing year will rise to 2.15 million tons compared with the usual 2 million tons. The increase is driven by population growth, with Worldometer estimating 9.5 million residents in 2025 (+1.4%). As a result, domestic wheat consumption may climb to 2.3 million tons.

Russia remains Israel’s dominant wheat supplier, significantly outperforming Romania and Ukraine. In recent seasons, its share in Israel’s import structure has grown notably: while in 2020/21 Israel purchased 0.6 million tons of Russian wheat (39% of the market), by 2024/25 volumes had surged to 1.6 million tons (89%). Meanwhile, Romania’s shipments declined from 0.3 million tons (22%) to 26 thousand tons (1%), and Ukraine’s—from 0.2 million tons (13%) to 0.1 million tons (8%).

At the same time, the EU is expected to harvest a significantly larger wheat crop. USDA forecasts production at 142.3 million tons in 2025/26—an increase of 20.2 million tons year-on-year. Exports are projected to reach 33 million tons (+5.1 million tons), potentially intensifying competition for the Israeli market from European suppliers.

Despite this, as of November 23, 2025, Russian wheat shipments to Israel had already reached 1 million tons, up from 0.7 million tons a year earlier. This indicates continued growth, and according to USDA forecasts, Russia may further expand deliveries and maintain its leading position on this market.

Tags: wheat, Israel, imports